Parks & Recreation

[Clownbaby]

Does this get better? Watched the first 3 eps of season 1 last night. Just feels like an Office US clone at the moment

[The Always Red Society]

It does get better, yes. Season 2 onwards is a big jump in quality from season 1, which is only 6 episodes.

[Bad Ambassador]

The second season is a big improvement, and by the third the main cast is fixed. Mark Brandanowicz is dropped like a hot turd after that.

[Clownbaby]

The second season is a big improvement, and by the third the main cast is fixed. Mark Brandanowicz is dropped like a hot turd after that.

Good cause I was thinking "I don't like this man"

[up_the_hampipe]

From the first scene of season 2, you can see serious improvement. I can't think of a show that got its shit together quite as well, so stick with it!

[Clownbaby]

That's good to hear, cause it's so nothing at the moment

[up_the_hampipe]

Also worth sticking around to see Louis CK arresting Aziz Ansari for being a creeper.

[Clownbaby]

Also worth sticking around to see Louis CK arresting Aziz Ansari for being a creeper.

Haaaaaaaaaaa. I'll look forward to that

[SteveDave]

Yeah, Mark is a deadweight. Just start at season 2.

[Gulftastic]

As well as dropping the Mark character, they figured out how to use Andy properly and let Chris Pratt's natural comedy chops come out to play.

[up_the_hampipe]

As well as dropping the Mark character, they figured out how to use Andy properly and let Chris Pratt's natural comedy chops come out to play.

They figured out how to use everyone properly.

[AsparagusTrevor]

I don't mind the first season (never saw The Office US for comparison) but it does get a shitload better in season 2, then better still in season 3 when Adam Scott and Rob Lowe become regulars.

[jake thunder]

Remember to quit at (I think) season 5.

[chveik]

Remember to quit at (I think) season 5.

I think it goes downhill earlier.

[Small Man Big Horse]

Remember to quit at (I think) season 5.

I thought season 5 was pretty weak as well, but 6 was a return to form. And parts of 7 are okay as well, it's just a shame the ending is so self-congratulatory.

[DrGreggles]

Seasons 2 to 4 are great.

[Ferris]

Nothing to add except I agree 1 is a bit shite, but 2-5 are really really good.

[gmoney]

Whenever Jerry turns into a creep is when the rot set in. I think it was season 6.

[Enrico Palazzo]

I'm normally an Adam Scott fan but his character's increasing insipidness was when the rot set in for me.

[up_the_hampipe]

Whenever Jerry turns into a creep is when the rot set in. I think it was season 6.

When was he a creep? Wasn't he just a nice guy that they all bullied?

[ajsmith2]

When was he a creep? Wasn't he just a nice guy that they all bullied?

Think he/she might be referring to the bit in series 6 where Jerry is enthusiastically imitating his daughters breastfeeding habits as children and the result visibly upsets Ann and Chris. The one moment where they pushed his character over into 'unpleasant weirdo' for comic effect.

[gmoney]

Think he/she might be referring to the bit in series 6 where Jerry is enthusiastically imitating his daughters breastfeeding habits as children and the result visibly upsets Ann and Chris. The one moment where they pushed his character over into 'unpleasant weirdo' for comic effect.

Exactly that! I stopped paying much attention to it afterwards, so I can't recall if they did it again, but I'll take your word for it.

[Gulftastic]

I didn't like it when they added the line about Jerry having an enormous penis, as I think it diluted the long running joke of him being possibly the most average man on the planet, but having an awesome looking wife and a perfect home life. It was funnier with no explanation.

[good times]

re-posted my thoughts from the Golden Nuggets thread, hadn't realised there was a recent dedicated thread for Parks & Rec.

I'm only properly watching it for the first time through Prime now (mainly cos I've exhausted all the other decent comedy options) and it looks to have dated horribly.

Are all the looks to the camera etc. meant to be ironic or did they genuinely think no-one would noticed it was a half arsed rip off of The Office? The fake documentary format also makes no sense whatsoever, to the point where I can't work out if it is meant to be a piss-take or was just genuinely that carelessly thought through?

The above is the sort of dramatic inconsistency that normally sets this forum in a rage (although that might only be limited to anything featuring Ricky Gervais)

Chris Pratt, Nick Offerman and Amy Poehler are both good value for the most part but the Anne character is very weak, and Rob Lowe/Aubrey Plaza are one-note characters. The Tom character I'm 50/50 on, sometimes funny but often fucking annoying/lowest common denominator stuff.

I also don't really understand the Rashida Jones/Rob Lowe love storyline - he's clearly a freak but she seems to think he's awesome. This could again be the joke but it's either incredibly subtle or just further inconsistency in the character/universe.

[Avril Lavigne]

Are all the looks to the camera etc. meant to be ironic or did they genuinely think no-one would noticed it was a half arsed rip off of The Office? The fake documentary format also makes no sense whatsoever, to the point where I can't work out if it is meant to be a piss-take or was just genuinely that carelessly thought through?

The show was originally semi-planned to be a spin-off of The (US) Office.  For whatever reasons, they ditched the in-universe connection but kept the mockumentary format the same.

As for Anne being weak I think she's meant to be a kind of everywoman to counterbalance the quirks of all the other characters.

[Ferris]

I had all the same pointers as you, but the show is so good natured I enjoyed it anyway.

[Clownbaby]

Finished season 2 and it is better yeah. Amy Poehler has the same sort of cuteness as Steve Carell managed to channel into Michael Scott to make the characters kind of annoying but wjth a puppylike enthusiasm for their fairly unremarkable jobs. She's really likeable. And I really like Nick Offerman. Ron Swanson is a charming character and I love his subtle faces.

It definitely doesn't do the mockumentary "side-eyeing the camera" thing as well as The Office US (I will compare them cause they're so obviously alike) and there's even a lot of Office-character-mirroring which makes some bits seem proper deja vu

- Jerry is Toby. Disliked and picked on (not with as much venom though) despite not really having done anything other than being a bit rubbish

- Leslie is obviously female Michael Scott, a milder version of him and much less of a wildcard though

- Ann is just like Rashida Jones' character in The Office US combined with Pam. Just the mildly pretty, level headed, pleasant one that they all seem to like enough

- At a push Ron Swanson is like a graceful Dwight. He's respected and sensible, which Dwight isn't, but he's got a similar sort of odd vibe about him. Strangely old fashioned, intense stare, odd hobbies

The weakest characters are definitely Tom and April. I straight up don't like Aziz Ansari anyway (nothing to do with that accusation from and few months ago, just don't like him) unexpressive face, not enough natural charm to make his awkward partyboy thing endearing. I know Aubrey Plaza's thing is the deadpan face but sometimes it just looks too much like she genuinely can't act but it's being concealed by the deadpan. Like what I get with Michael Cera sometimes. The thing with her gay boyfriend is quite funny though.

It's not going to be much more than a same-universe-as- The Office US and I'm ok with that cause it's fairly funny and I like about half of the characters. It's a good stable 6/10

[Bobloblawslawbomb]

- Leslie is obviously female Michael Scott, a milder version of him and much less of a wildcard though

Not too much of spoiler to say that the writers and poehler move Leslie away from being like Michale Scott the more the series goes on. Her competence and dedication to her job end up becoming leslie's defining character trait.

[Clownbaby]

Not too much of spoiler to say that the writers and poehler move Leslie away from being like Michale Scott the more the series goes on. Her competence and dedication to her job end up becoming leslie's defining character trait.

Oh that's good. I was envisioning her turning more and more bad at her job, cause that's usually the route shows go down in the long run (make the characters stupider and more dramatic) but it's actually nice that she's not going to boil down to a incompetent but we'll meaning person.  That's such an overdone protagonist thing

[AsparagusTrevor]

Finished season 2 and it is better yeah.
...
It's a good stable 6/10

Similar to the change between seasons one and two I'd say season three goes up a notch or two in quality.

Oh that's good. I was envisioning her turning more and more bad at her job, cause that's usually the route shows go down in the long run (make the characters stupider and more dramatic)

You will see examples of that in other characters as the series progresses, although not as obnoxiously as some series.